Chapter 116: The Sword Descending from the Sky

The crimson moon hung motionless high in the sky, surrounded by eternal blackness, not a single cloud in sight. It was like a hole burned into that dark canvas, yet not a sliver of light pierced through, as if the other side of the world was also a sea of darkness.

Lady Bai tilted her head back, blood trailing down her snow-white skin, drying crimson on her naked body like a dark red gown. The blood deepened the color of her long hair, and broken skull fragments still clung to her form, resembling countless bone-worms gnawing at her.

Lady Bai stared intently at the red moon, and the red moon stared intently back at her. Her dark eyes were like a pool reflecting the moonlight.

"Zhao Xiang'er… Empress of Zhao, no wonder you don't dare cross the river to kill me. If we had met elsewhere right now, we would have been locked in a death match long ago, wouldn't we?" Lady Bai smiled, her pale face appearing eerie in the red moonlight. "How can you win this game if you're constantly hesitant and lack the courage to overturn the chessboard?"

Shu Bai knelt on the ground, slowly rising after a long while. His joints seemed stiff. He gripped the wooden chair, using it to support himself as he stood.

Lady Bai said, "Let's go back to the courtyard."

Shu Bai stared at her. Her shoulders were exceptionally bony, like bones carved by a white axe. His gaze passed over her shoulders to the fox fur draped over her knees, stained crimson with blood.

Moments ago, shadows of corpses had surged to and fro, leaving her body covered in wounds. Only the fox fur remained still, draped quietly over her knees, soaked in blood.

Shu Bai reached out, placed his hand on her shoulder, then suddenly gripped her neck. His fingers pressed hard, piercing her skin and sinking in.

Lady Bai frowned slightly but said nothing.

"You're going to die…" Shu Bai said hoarsely.

Lady Bai smiled faintly. "Yes, just a little more pressure from your fingers, and I'll be gone."

Shu Bai shook his head. "You know that's not what I mean."

Lady Bai raised her hand, gently placing it on her own neck. She lightly brushed Shu Bai's bulging veined hand, then dabbed a few drops of blood from her neck, bringing them to her lips and tasting them, as if savoring an endless sweetness.

Shu Bai's hand, still clasped around her neck, began to tremble. His fingers slowly pushed deeper, piercing her flesh until they directly gripped the cervical vertebrae buried beneath her skin. Holding the bone, he said, "It's not that I'm afraid to kill you."

Lady Bai's expression remained unchanged. "If you kill me now, Fengdu will lose its balance, and the entire city of Linhe will collapse. You're a kind child; you wouldn't stand by and watch that happen, would you?"

Shu Bai scoffed. A kind child? When he pushed Lady Bai out of that alley, he hadn't dared to look back even once.

He didn't know if killing people counted as murder, but he had killed many today.

This was his first time killing. He wasn't sure if he feared Lady Bai's death would cause the city's collapse, or if he simply didn't want to see her die.

He hoped it was the former.

He said nothing more, slowly withdrawing his fingers from her neck, dripping with blood and flesh.

He took hold of the wheelchair's handles again and silently pushed her forward.

Lady Bai closed her eyes. Her wounds healed visibly under the crimson moonlight. Suddenly, she asked, "Do you think gods can die?"

Shu Bai knew what she was referring to, but he didn't respond.

She was a bone demon that had crawled out of an abyss, a part of a divine bone, and in some sense, one of the gods' reincarnations.

Lady Bai murmured, "When I was first killed and crawled out of the pile of bones, I thought gods were immortal."

At this, she couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. "Even true gods have died, and I'm merely a broken piece of bone. Why did I have such a foolish thought?"

She tilted her head back and sighed deeply. "Whenever I think about dying, my body uncontrollably begins to decay."

In the courtyard, after two hundred punches, Zhao Xiang'er pulled Ning Changjiu out of the muddy, snow-mixed ground.

Ning Changjiu clutched his chest, coughed a few times, then fell back to the ground. He held his head, his expression pained.

Zhao Xiang'er asked, "What's wrong? Did I hit you too hard?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head. "I'm fine."

Zhao Xiang'er asked again, "How effective was today's sparring?"

Ning Changjiu gave a wry smile. "Your Highness's punches are becoming increasingly fluid and powerful."

Zhao Xiang'er rolled her eyes at him. "I was asking about you."

Ning Changjiu shook his head. "No progress. I still can't overcome this physical hurdle."

Zhao Xiang'er said disapprovingly, "I've been sparring with you for a month. How much of my own training have I delayed? You're truly useless."

Ning Changjiu smiled, not refuting her. He looked up at the red moon in the sky and asked, "Do you think it will rain here?"

Zhao Xiang'er thought for a moment. "We're inside the house. Even if it rains, it won't reach us, will it?"

Ning Changjiu nodded. "What do you think Lady Bai is waiting for?"

Zhao Xiang'er said, "She wants the same thing we do: to kill us while maintaining the balance of the other shore."

Ning Changjiu said, "I haven't reached the Profound Realm yet, so I'm insignificant. But you are at the Longevity Realm. If you die, where would she find another Longevity Realm cultivator to maintain Fengdu's balance?"

Zhao Xiang'er mused, "She needs a vessel, a container that can directly absorb all our realms after killing us."

Ning Changjiu nodded. "Who do you think that vessel might be?"

They both knew the answer in their hearts. Zhao Xiang'er then asked, "And if we kill her, how will we maintain the city's balance?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head. "We can't."

"Brother, Sister Xiang'er, dinner's ready." Their conversation was interrupted as Ning Xiaoling opened the door and waved to them.

Before entering the house, Zhao Xiang'er suddenly said, "She needs a sword, the most indestructible sword in all of Fengdu."

Ning Changjiu asked, "If she had such a sword, we would have been dead a month ago."

Zhao Xiang'er hummed in agreement. "She must be getting restless. When I saw her, she was still in her wheelchair; her body is deteriorating."

The girl sighed, looked at him, and pursed her lips. "But what about you? A month has passed, and you haven't made any progress."

Ning Changjiu was silent for a moment, then said guiltily, "I've failed to meet Your Highness's expectations."

Zhao Xiang'er ignored him. "Time to eat."

Ning Xiaoling went to the wardrobe, took out a clean white robe, and handed it to her senior brother, asking worriedly, "Brother, are you really okay with being like this every day?"

Ning Changjiu smiled. "Before, I'd fall after one move. Now I can barely take five or six. That's quite a lot of progress."

Ning Xiaoling pouted. "Don't pretend I didn't notice. Sister Xiang'er lets you do that. She always uses the same few moves, they barely change, and yet you still get beaten up."

Ning Changjiu shrugged it off, smiling. "That's still progress."

Ning Xiaoling took his discarded outer robe and tossed it into a wooden bucket, a hint of displeasure in her voice. "But Brother, your realm hasn't advanced at all! When will this daily beating for nothing end? You used to say you'd go to the Imperial City and tease Sister Xiang'er in three years. At this rate, you'll probably be too scared to fight by then. Sister Xiang'er will just make a move, and you'll fall before her fist even touches you."

Listening to his junior sister's dissatisfied taunts, Ning Changjiu said helplessly, "My junior sister doesn't trust me anymore?"

Ning Xiaoling snorted. "Good thing no one else is here. If disciples from other peaks saw this, it would truly embarrass Master Jiajia."

Ning Changjiu changed his clothes and cupped a handful of water to wipe the dust from his face.

As he wiped his face, he asked, "Junior Sister, is Ning Qinshui's money still there?"

Ning Xiaoling looked a bit confused. "Of course it is. All the shops on the street are gone now; where would I spend it? I can only draw a chessboard to use as game pieces."

Ning Changjiu said, "Then keep it safe. We'll get out of here eventually. You're my little money bag, so make sure you save it well for me."

Ning Xiaoling tilted her head slightly. She stared at her senior brother for a moment, then nodded firmly.

Ning Changjiu said, "Although we are trapped here now, we must not neglect our swordsmanship. The peak's sword trials will be soon, and you should really show off your skills then, Junior Sister."

Ning Xiaoling nodded. "I practice every day."

Ning Changjiu said, "You must practice the sword moves from the Heavenly Oracle Sword Scripture, and don't neglect the most basic sword locks either. Otherwise, you'll have all the moves but won't be able to hit anyone, and it will all be wasted effort."

Ning Xiaoling rested her chin on her hand. "I know, I know, I've been practicing."

As she spoke, she formed a sword seal, locking Ning Changjiu in place. Ning Changjiu struggled slightly and teased, "Junior Sister, put away your divine ability."

Just then, the door opened. Zhao Xiang'er walked in and happened to see Ning Xiaoling "tying" him to the chair. She frowned, a clear look of disdain flashing in her pure eyes. Without stepping fully inside, she said coldly, "Come to my room."

With that, Zhao Xiang'er closed the door and turned to leave.

Ning Xiaoling looked at them with a hint of confusion.

Ning Changjiu said, "Practice well. I'll be back soon."

On the other side of the Underworld River, in Lady Bai's courtyard, Shu Bai emerged from his room and walked to her door, knocking heavily several times.

Thump, thump, thump.

"What is it?" Lady Bai's voice came from within.

Shu Bai asked, "May I come in?"

Lady Bai smiled faintly. "Oh? You haven't visited in an entire month. Do you want to spend the night with Sister Bai tonight?"

Shu Bai denied it. "I want to know what you're doing inside."

Lady Bai's voice was flat. "Doing what? Interesting things, of course. Do you want to join? It would be much more interesting with two people."

Hearing this, Shu Bai clenched his teeth.

He had endured an incredibly dark month. His dearest sister had died and been resurrected, but she had become a demon. He watched countless people die, powerless to stop it.

He had once considered giving in, falling into depravity with Sister Bai, and acting on his own impulses until some righteous immortal ended him with a sword. But a sharp point of reason always emerged in his heart, shattering his sporadic evil thoughts of self-abandonment.

He often recalled the words the white-robed youth had spoken while pressing him to his knees.

"Cultivators must slay the demons that plague the world, and the living ghosts disguised as humans who walk among us."

Sister Bai was a demon plaguing the world, a living ghost disguised as a human. Now he was a cultivator, yet he could do nothing. He was even close to forgetting that he was just a thirteen-year-old child.

Shu Bai stood at the door, as if having made a decision. His hand was already on the door. "If Sister Bai has no objections, I'm coming in."

Just as he was about to push the door open, Lady Bai's smile vanished, and her voice turned cold. "Get out!"

Shu Bai put more force into his hand.

Lady Bai sneered. As the door opened a crack, a beam of light shot out, striking Shu Bai in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

Shu Bai clutched the wound on his chest, struggled to his feet, and walked back to the door, intent on pushing it open.

Lady Bai said coldly, "Your authority was granted by me. I can reclaim it anytime I wish. I know you want to do something for others, but it's meaningless. You've always been merely a boat on the river, not the one at the helm. Just drift along with the current."

Shu Bai ignored her, determined to open the door.

Lady Bai waved her sleeve again, knocking him back to the ground.

Shu Bai climbed to his feet once more, lunging forward and hooking his fingers into the crack of the door. This simple wooden door felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Despite his utmost effort, he could only push it open slowly, inch by inch.

Lady Bai seemed genuinely enraged. She suddenly raised her hand, intending to sever the fingers he had hooked into the wooden door.

Shu Bai, equally desperate, mustered all his strength and lunged forward.

A sudden shattering sound erupted as the wooden door, unable to withstand the pressure of the two opposing forces, exploded into countless splinters. These fragments, sharp as blades, flew backward at high speed, many embedding themselves in Shu Bai's body. Gritting his teeth, he stumbled into the room and slowly lifted his head.

Inside the room, Lady Bai's soft sigh echoed.

Shu Bai's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at the scene before him.

Lady Bai sat in her wheelchair. The fox fur that had covered her knees was now pushed aside, revealing empty space beneath her skirt where her legs should have been. Her legs had been severed. In her arms, she cradled her own leg bones. With one hand, she held a leg bone steady, and with the other, she meticulously sharpened it with a bone knife, shaping it into a sword.

There was no handguard or hilt, only the blade.

It was the style of a flying sword.

Shu Bai stared at her severed legs, utterly shocked. "What are you doing?!"

Lady Bai became calm. She examined the two bone swords in her arms as if admiring a masterpiece, her expression one of deep fascination. "I'm forging swords," she said.

Shu Bai pointed at her, bewildered. "But... but you..."

Lady Bai smiled. "Did you think they would be easy to kill? Only a truly good sword can sever their heads. This is divine bone, and only divine bone can sharpen it. Everything else in this city will be split apart by this bone sword. This is what I've been doing for the past month. Now you've seen it. Are you satisfied?"

As she spoke, she lifted her skirt a little to give him a clearer view.

Shu Bai stared at the wounds, shaking his head repeatedly, then gagged.

Lady Bai pushed her wheelchair closer to him, looking down. "I told you not to look. Children should listen to their older sister."

Shu Bai covered his mouth, feeling an indescribable revulsion at the sight of her holding her own leg bones, shaping them into swords.

He opened his mouth, took a breath, and said with a firm voice, "You are indeed getting weaker. You've had to resort to this… Even if you've sharpened the keenest sword, what power do you have now to wield it and kill them?"

Lady Bai curved her eyes, not answering Shu Bai's question. She simply said, "They are indeed very clever; they seem to have guessed what I'm doing. The crimson moonlight is like rain; hiding under a roof can indeed evade my scrutiny, but what can a shallow house truly hide? They ostentatiously killed the White Impermanence and the City Lord, as if afraid I wouldn't notice, didn't they? Wasn't that just to use the balance of the other shore to transfer their power to that young man?"

Lady Bai laughed, speaking to herself, "After gaining the realms, he then pretended to anger Zhao Xiang'er and suggested sparring, merely to solidify his newly acquired realm. I wonder how many realms he truly advanced, to warrant such an elaborate charade for my benefit. Hmph, 'insignificant because he hasn't reached the Profound Realm'? That line was meant for me, to make me believe killing him wouldn't disrupt the balance... How clumsy their trick to lure my sword out!"

She stroked the sword in her hand. "In that case, my first strike will kill someone truly insignificant!"

As she spoke, her expression turned fierce, as if she had returned to being the powerful queen who commanded Fengdu a month ago. She draped the fox fur over herself, grabbed Shu Bai, and said, "Watch this strike carefully!"

With that, she grabbed Shu Bai and tossed him outside the door. Then, she raised her gaze, following the line of the eaves upward, looking at the crimson moon hanging high in the sky, and threw the sword in her hand.

The sword, once thrown, never fell back down. The red moon seemed to have a special attraction to this bone sword, pulling it little by little towards the sky until it became a small dot and vanished into the crimson moon.

Shu Bai stared at the sword in astonishment, suddenly understanding.

In this city, Lady Bai's authority had been almost completely shattered, but only the red moon was her own creation, equivalent to...

Shu Bai abruptly turned his head, just in time to see Lady Bai's right eye was completely black. He had seen her dark eyes many times before, but only today did he realize that she had long lost one of her eyes. That crimson moon was her eye, hung in the sky, through which she had been observing everything in the city.

Now she was sending the sword to the red moon, from where it would precisely lock onto their location and fall directly.

This sword would certainly not be used to strike Zhao Xiang'er, as even a direct hit wouldn't be enough to kill her. Nor would it be used to kill the cunning Ning Changjiu, especially since, by her assessment, he had already secretly broken through to a new realm, making him even harder to kill. Therefore, this sword could only be aimed at…

Shu Bai's eyes widened as he thought of the young girl in a Taoist robe, not much older than himself.

Lady Bai watched the sword ascend to the sky and chuckled. "What do you think such a wonderful sword, descending from the heavens, should be called?"

Shu Bai gathered all his strength, struggled to his feet, and lunged at her, roaring, "Stop it!"

Lady Bai extended her hand, pressing him back down to the ground. She smiled sweetly. "Too late."

As she spoke, her dark eyes turned a ghastly pale white.

The red moon had detected the life force in the house, and the sword's tip was precisely locked. The bone sword's strike range covered the entire room!

"Strike!"

Lady Bai gave the command.

At the center of the red moon, all light converged into a single point. As Lady Bai willed it, a long sword, trailing a scarlet light trail, burst from the moon and plummeted straight down. Initially the size of a needle, it moved with such incredible speed that it seemed to ignite, instantly becoming like a meteor piercing the earth. Its target was the house where Ning Xiaoling resided!

At that very moment, Ning Changjiu happened to step out of Zhao Xiang'er's room.

Before his eyes, the bone sword descended, and a brilliant red light flared.

Lady Bai's smile grew wider. In her eyes, Ning Xiaoling was the truly insignificant burden. At most, she was at the advanced Profound Realm or early Immortal Realm. Killing her wouldn't significantly impact the balance of the other shore. Even if it did, Lady Bai could simply slaughter the ox to restore it.

Most importantly, killing her would drive both Ning Changjiu and Zhao Xiang'er mad.

"Hmph, they thought they'd seen through my scheme, uttering flowery words in front of me, believing they could deceive me?"

She observed through the red moon, regretting that it was a top-down view, unable to clearly see the sorrow and fury on Ning Changjiu's face.

In her view, the red light exploded, instantly smashing and tearing away the entire rooftop. The crimson glow, like fire and a raging storm, consumed and ripped apart everything, engulfing even Ning Changjiu's figure. When this red light faded, the young girl would surely be reduced to dust!

Shu Bai collapsed helplessly to the ground. Although he hadn't witnessed it directly, the feeling of powerlessness was intensely real. He realized he was merely Lady Bai's puppet, and his thoughts and resolve were irrelevant, for invisible threads had been entwined in every one of his joints since birth.

He looked up at Lady Bai, but then his brows suddenly furrowed.

Lady Bai's smile had abruptly vanished.

The house had been reduced to ruins.

The red light dissipated, and the dust settled.

Ning Xiaoling shakily stood up from the wreckage. She was covered in wounds, but in her hand, she clutched a sword forged from white bone.

She gave Ning Changjiu a weak smile. "Brother, am I a good money bag?"

Ning Changjiu walked to her, embraced her, and smiled gently. "You're the best, Junior Sister."

Ning Xiaoling leaned against his chest.

On the other side of the Underworld River, Lady Bai murmured, "How... how is that possible?!"

Then, she recalled a previous conversation.

Ning Xiaoling, unable to bear watching her senior brother get beaten, had emerged from the house, wanting to say something, but Ning Changjiu had stopped her.

At the time, Lady Bai hadn't paid much attention to this scene. Now, she finally understood: Ning Changjiu truly hadn't broken through. He had sealed his own body, forcing Fengdu to bestow the excess realms upon Ning Xiaoling! And now, Ning Xiaoling must be at the upper Immortal Realm, close to the Longevity Realm. If she had been forewarned, it was indeed possible for her to withstand that sword strike!

And Ning Xiaoling had indeed been prepared.

Under her senior brother's earlier "instruction," she had already set up many sword locks for protection. Moreover, she and her senior brother shared a telepathic connection, requiring no words. Inside that house, Ning Changjiu had also been watching the red moon, and the moment the sword appeared, he had warned her, allowing Ning Xiaoling to swiftly evade the bone sword's direct impact.

Lady Bai laughed maniacally. She threw the other sword high into the air, launching it towards the red moon.

On the other side, Ning Changjiu raised his head, looking at the red moon as if meeting her gaze, and revealed a faint smile.